‘Shipping’ has become a popular term in today’s pop culture, especially with the growth of platforms like TikTok becoming popular with the younger generation, making what was once a niche fandom activity into a part of pop culture.
The word ‘shipping’ is generally said to have originated from the word ‘relationship,’ and the very first ‘ship’ could be traced all the way back to 1970, of the characters Kirk and Spock from Star Trek, where the fans of the show would ‘ship’ or entertain the possibility of a romantic relationship between Kirk and Spock, who are canonically close platonic friends.
There are many types of ships – the broader and more popular one is called ‘slash,’ which is where you ship together two same-sex characters. This term is also said to have originated from the very first fandom discourse where the shipping of Kirk and Spock was referred to as ‘Kirk/Spock’ which then became K/S. Now a ship between two men is termed as ‘slash,’ while shipping two female characters is also referred to similarly, although it is sometimes called ‘femslash’.
Admittedly, there are fewer male-female ships, considering that such relationships often have the potential of becoming what is called a ‘sailed ship,’ which means that your ship has become canon.
A famous male-female ship from the 1990s was from the show ‘X-Files’ – of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Many other shows have had male-female ships come to life, but for the most part, the will-they-won’t-they aspect of the couple coming together forms an integral part of the plot from its inception. A more recent example would be the shipping of ‘Twilight’ character Bella Swan with either Edward Cullen or Jacob Black.
This practice is seen as fans exercising their agency to create their own narratives to further their interaction with their favourite piece of pop culture. A person who takes part in this activity of shipping is called a ‘shipper’ and it’s a common joke to say that you ‘sail’ on a certain ship.
In the past, shipping was limited to a fandom activity, where groups expressed support for their favourite shows and their favourite ships within those shows, strictly amongst themselves. Fandoms would make fanart, fanfics, and other art that would represent their OTP or One True Pairing. It was a way of engaging with the show and its content while also exploring their own artistic inclinations.
However, with the advent of social media shipping as a culture has expanded well beyond fictional characters. With the increased access to celebrities and the way that media is often presented to audiences in a more personalised, direct, and interactive manner, fandoms have begun to apply shipping to real-life people.
Shipping real-life figures
Shipping real-life people is of course not a new or unusual thing – society for millennia has been obsessed with gossip and the personal lives of the rich and famous, be it celebrity gossip or kings having mistresses, etc. However, this intrigue amplified by social media allows people much greater access or perceived access to real-life celebrities, which has taken this interest in gossip a step further.
At the centre of this phenomenon happens to be boy bands, who are very frequent loci of the phenomenon, but they are not of course the only ones. Actors and actresses in long-running shows who exhibit chemistry on-screen are also subject to similar scrutiny in their off-screen lives, with fans speculating and entertaining their personal romantic affiliations to each other.
A very popular and recent example is seen in the incredibly famous real-life celebrity shipping of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson of One Direction called ‘Larry’. This is an example of real-life shipping at the height of intensity to the point where the fandom activities have bled into real life and both musicians have addressed the matter publicly. ‘Larry’ was also an example of a ‘toxic’ ship, where the shipping of real people caused the objects of this ship discomfort and real-life ramifications.
Yet another example is seen in the shipping of Chinese actors Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo from ‘The Untamed’ (2019) television series, where a fanfiction site known as Archive of Our Own published sexually explicit fictional content between the two actors. The Chinese Government proceeded to ban the website, and the reputations of the actors involved suffered greatly as well with one even losing brand endorsements, considering that homosexual content is sensitive in China.
However, despite these occasionally negative outcomes, shipping has remained an important part of the fan experience. Especially when it comes to K-pop groups, shipping is almost encouraged, with fans allowed the freedom to pick their favourites, and the K-pop group members themselves perpetuating some ships by acting in certain ways that further the ship.
BL shipping culture
Recently, with more and more countries legalising same-sex marriage and with the growing acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, there has been an increase such representation in media which has led to more LGBTQ+ content and characters. This has contributed to the further evolution of shipping, where actors who play couples on screen are shipped together in real life. The content which is referred to as BL or Boys’ Love is a popular genre in East Asia, and it often consists of stories built around two male characters who will eventually enter into a relationship.
In BL, there is a built-in shipping culture where for promotional activities of these shows, studios encourage fans to ship the two actors and to support them as a unit or as a couple. The actors too then play into this, adopting their roles from the show in their real-life interactions – in fan signings and screenings they will often adopt the roles of a couple when interacting with fans, performing what is known as skinship – a show of closeness between the two actors to perpetuate the idea that they may or may not be involved romantically.
Fandom activities are incredibly nuanced and are experienced differently by each fan. Therefore, we reached out to some fans who consume BL content and who have engaged in shipping culture to share their thoughts on the matter.
- Suhadinie Perera
“‘Larry’ was my very first ship, but Louis and Harry both recently said that it was a burden for them even though we enjoyed all their moments. I guess they were forced because the fans wanted something different. It is the same with the BL industry – when the companies see a potential to gain profits they force BL couples to pretend and do all kinds of sweet things,” she said, noting that profit potential really plays into this. “GMMTV [a Thai broadcasting network] sold every possible thing branded with BrightWin [a popular BL ship] starting from key chains to a million other things.”
“Fans ship hard when the actors/agency feed into these ideas and this is how they become super toxic. In real life, most of these actors simulating LGBTQ+ relationships are straight and they have their own partners,” she said.
She added that she understood that eventually, this performance could take a toll on their personal relationships as well. “As BL fans, we tend to ship anyone with great chemistry but it’s the agency/actors who make the fandom toxic with unnecessary elements of intensity.”
- Madhubhashini Premathilaka
“When it comes to BL I like shipping BL actors mostly because that’s what they do – they perform in that relationship, so I am naturally
inclined to ship them. But when shipping K-pop celebrities, although it feels good at the moment, since there is a community around the activity of shipping and we can share our love and adoration of these celebrities, I do sometimes feel bad because I feel that these celebrities would be uncomfortable with it if they saw these kinds of fan interactions, videos, and fanfictions.
“Honestly, I watch shipping videos a lot because it is interesting to see your favourite people as a couple and showcase that behaviour. It is pleasant and heart-warming, but as I said, I have a minor feeling of guilt too.”
- Pujanee Galappaththi
“Shipping culture, like many things, has got a little out of hand. It has gone from making fan videos and writing fanfictions of fictional characters to shipping real people via social media.
“This includes celebrities and influencers. It has become so intense to the point where production companies promote ships of real actors who play certain characters that caught the public eye. This is extremely problematic because this is simply restricting a person’s interactions to satisfy their fans. There are many examples, especially in the BL industry, where shipping got out of hand and relationships were destroyed and careers were ruined.”
“It is one thing to write ‘Merthur’ fanfictions (popular ship between Arthur and Merlin from the TV series ‘Merlin’) and an entirely another thing to expect two people playing romantic partners in a certain show to kiss each other in public to satisfy a ship. While I enjoy shipping culture as a fandom activity where we entertain the fantastical idea of fictional characters being in love, I think it is a step too far to expect real-life people to also perform for your entertainment off-screen.”